Ingress protection (IP) rating of a light fixture defines a level of sealing effectiveness of an electrical enclosure or housing of the light fixture against intrusion from dust, dirt, and/or moisture. In addition to preventing intrusion from dust, dirt, and moisture, some light fixtures may also have to be protected from wildlife intrusion, for example, outdoor lighting fixtures.
Multiple sealing technologies that provide wildlife intrusion protection and IP may exist. However, the existing multiple sealing technologies may have limited functionality. That is, a sealing technology that provides wildlife intrusion protection may not provide IP and vice-versa. Accordingly, each type of protection may require a different sealing device, thereby increasing the number of stock keeping units (SKUs). The increased number of SKUs may be inconvenient for a manufacturer and/or a distributor. Also, the increased number of SKUs may increase the product cost for the end user (customer). Further, existing sealing technologies may require tools for installation which may be inconvenient for a customer.
For example, an existing sealing technology that provides wildlife intrusion protection may include a metal plate that is fastened to a housing of a light fixture using two screws, while another existing sealing technology that provides IP may include a silicone rubber that is adhered to an aluminum plate using an adhesive, which in turn is fastened to the housing using four screws. In said example, the existing sealing technology that provides wildlife protection may not be configured to provide IP and vice-versa. Accordingly, in said example, to provide IP for a light fixture that is already fitted with the metal plate for wildlife intrusion protection, a customer may have to remove the metal plate, drill two additional holes, and attach the aluminum plate using four screws. This process may require tools, such as drills, screws, etc., and may be tedious and time consuming.
Furthermore, the existing sealing technologies may not be configured to allow a pole mounting of the light fixture. Even if some of the existing sealing technologies allow pole mounting of the light fixture, they may not be configured to accommodate mounting poles of different sizes and/or the various mounting angles of the mounting poles.
In light of the above mentioned shortcomings, there remains a need for an improved sealing technology that can provide both wildlife intrusion protection and IP for different mounting angles and/or different sizes of mounting poles. Further, there remains a need for a sealing technology that allows toolless installation.